Shoe-fastener.



No. 701,896. Patented June lo, |902.

n. M. KINNEAB @L w. w. JDNAH. y SHOE FASTENEB.

(Application Bled INov. 9, 1900.)

(No Model.)

m Nunms PETERS cormonmma wasHlN-eon. n. 1;.`

UNITED STATES PATENT GrrIcn. ,l

DUKEM. KINNEAR AND WILLIAM W. IoNAIL oFfcLINroN, LMAssA-` cIIUsETTs.

SHOE-FASTNER'."

` SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 701,896, dated. June 10, 1902. d

Application filed November 9,1900. Serial No. 35,897. (N0 modelJ To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that we,DUKE M.KINNEAR and WILLIAM W. JONAH, citizens of the United States, residing at Clinton, in the county ofk Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Shoe-Fastener,of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a fastener for closing the front openings ofv shoes; and the especial object of our invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, and durable shoe-fastener which will impart a novel and attractive appearance to shoes employing the same, which will provide sufficient clasticity,so that shoes provided with fasteners constructed aclcording to our invention will not tire or cramp the feet of the wearer, and which will be more readily fastened and unfastened than other forms of shoe-fastening devices with which.

we are familiar.

To these ends our invention consists of the shoe-fastener and of the combinations of parts therein, as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claim at the end of this specification. Y

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of a shoe provided with shoe-fasteners constructed according to our invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of a shoe havingone of our shoefasteners applied thereto, and Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the separate parts or pieces employed in our shoe-fastener.

The greater number of fineshoes nowused are secured on the feet of the wearer: by being laced or buttoned thereon. A shoewhich is buttoned or laced on the foot 'of the wearer may have an attractive and neat appearance; but it also has the disadvantage of being comparatively rigid or sti, and hence tiring and cramping the foot of the wearer. Y

The especial object of 4our present invenf tion is'to providea shoe-fastener which may be applied to shoes so 'that the same may be more readily fastened and nnfastened than ordinary. laced or buttoned shoes, which will give the shoes an appearance which is equal to or more attractive than laced or buttoned shoes, and which will also provide sufficient elasticity to prevent a shoe from tiring the foot of the wearer.

To accomplish these,ends,our shoe-fastener consists, essentially, of an elastic body portion having a button or cap lat each end thereof, one button or cap of the fastener being riveted or eyeleted in place at one side of the front ,opening oi' a shoe and the other button or cap being adapted to detachably engage a spring-stud at the opposite side of t-he front, opening of the shoe.

` Referring to the accompanying drawings and injdetail, our shoe-fastener, as herein illustrated, comprises an elastic body portion 10, having an enlarged or thickened central portion and tapering ends. In practice we have preferred to employ elastic body portions of this character, as yve have found that the same will preserve their elasticity and produce more efficient results than elastic body portions which are uniform in diameter throughout'their length. Atgits end the elastic body portion 10 is provided. with Washers 11, each of said washers 11 having a socket 12 for clamping the same onto the body portio'n10.-

The shoe-fastener also comprises buttons or caps 13. One button or cap is' eyeleted or fastened in place at one side of. the shoe-opening by an eyelet 14, and the other button or cap is provided with an eyelet 14 for forming a socket or cap-piece to detachably engage a spring-stud 15, which spring-stud 15 is fastened in place at the opposite side of the shoepening by an eyelet 16.

The buttons or caps 13 are preferably japanned or enameled, so that they present substantially the same appearance asl ordinary shoe-buttons, and in the actual use of shoes provided with fasteners constructed according toour invention such shoes can be put on and taken o by fastening and unfastening only those fastening devices as are nearest the tops' of the shoes.

We are aware'that changes may be made in the details of construction 'of our shoe-fastener by those who are skilled in the art without departing from the scope of our invention as expressed in the claim. x We do not wish,

therefore, to be limited to the precise form of fastener Which We have herein shown and described; but

What We do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

In a shoe-fastener, the combination of an elastic cord or body portion 10, metallic Washers ll having sockets 12 clamped onto the` ends of the elastic cord, two similar hollow buttons 13 with eyelets 14, one of which serves to secure one end of the elastic cord to the shoe, and the other acting to secure a button or cap on the free end of the elastic cord, and a spring-stud secured to the opposite side of Witnesses.

DUKE M. KINNEAR. W'ILLIAM WV. J ON All. VVituesses:

EDWARD S. MONTEITH, ALLAN G. BUTTRICK. 

